PHASE 4 – DAY 26

THE WAITING GAME

This journey started on May 1st. Those first 6 weeks went rather quickly, but we were equally excited and fearful when they were drawing to a close. Phase 3 was fun as we added back favorite fruits, vegetables and nuts, dairy and fats. We found some great sugar-free foods that helped make that transition easier [Jell-o sugar free pudding, for example]. Phase 4 has been both great, and educational. Let’s talk about Phase 4.

The HCG diet has truly changed my life. I mean: I choose what I eat much differently now than I did before. The Regional Manager took my boss and I out to lunch yesterday. He took us to a very nice Italian restaurant. I ordered salmon w/ a side of veggies. He ordered fried calamari and I ate two bites. He said, “I bring you to an Italian restaurant and you order SALMON????” Yep. And it was delicious. I took 3 or 4 bites of the chocolate dessert, which was also delicious, but was satisfied with that.

I know that in the past I would have ordered much differently. More of the fried food, more bread, probably a pasta dish, and definitely dessert. BUT – since eating this way for the past 3 months, I actually WANT to make better choices. [case in point: I have had a ‘Cadbury Wunderbar’ from Canada sitting in my desk all week and haven’t opened it. What’s wrong with me???] [another case in point: I have had a Twix bar in my purse for 2 weeks, and haven’t opened it!] [It’s a good thing daughter Camryn does not read this blog. The Twix bar would be history!]

Okay – so what about THE WAITING GAME topic for today? Well – we’re waiting until we can start this process all over again. Sept. 1st is the day. [we liked tying it to the first of the month last time, so we’re going to do it again on the 1st.] This time, Oldest Daughter wants to join us. She is very excited to start the process of a healthier life. [and fitting into more of my clothes doesn’t make her mad, either!] Sonny Boy lost 30 pounds on his journey, and is just now entering Phase 3.

SO - - - Since Sept 1st is a Wednesday, we have 4 weeks and 6 days until this all starts over again.

BTW – we are both still maintaining. Yay. [and I still don’t trust the new scale]

p.s. - after writing this, I checked on the Twix bar in my purse. It was a melted, smooshed mess. [however, it still tasted good!]

p.s.s. - I only made it through less than half of the Twix bar. I threw the rest away.

PHASE 4 – DAY 23


CATASTROPHE ON THE HOME FRONT!


We went to the trailer for the weekend, and as we always do, we packed the things we were going to need. We didn’t come home with same items. I usually check every closet and cupboard to make sure we have everything, but this time I missed checking items in the coat closet. The item I missed was our bathroom scale.


HENCE: I COULDN’T WEIGH-IN AFTER THE WEEKEND!!!


It was hard not knowing how I did over the weekend. It is a gauge to base my activities and eating habits for the next day. I missed that essential little ‘crutch’.


Due to the time and gas involved in driving all the way back up there, I opted to purchase another scale. [now I can have one at home, AND at the trailer] When I weighed this morning I was totally sure the scale was NOT correct. It was too low. Now, low sounds good, right? But it didn’t make sense with what my weight was on Sunday. It would mean I had lost 3 pounds in 2 days. I don’t think so.


Lanny said he got 2 or 3 different readings this morning, but that is not unusual. He always weighs 3, 4, sometimes 5 times in the morning until he is satisfied with the ‘average’.


The scale may take some getting used to, but it’s good to be back on track knowing where we are.

PHASE 4 – DAY 19


Today’s blog is dedicated to some of the positive things we have gleaned from this experience.


10 reasons why this journey has been WORTH IT:
1. Giving away a lot of your clothes is both hard and FUN!
2. Having people notice that you look better is VERY nice!
3. Knowing you’re making healthier food choices is a GREAT feeling!
4. Watching your son lose 25+ pounds is AWESOME!
5. Looking at your husband’s skinny face is a joy, because you know he’s healthier than he’s been in, like, FOR-EV-ER!
6. Not having your belly rest in your lap is GOOD!
7. Buying new clothes to replace the ones you’ve given away is EXPENSIVE!
8. NOT COUNTING CALORIES IS FREEING!
9. Drinking 1% milk instead of worrying about only drinking skim milk is Excellent!
10. LOSING THE WEIGHT YOU JUST COULDN’T SEEM TO TAKE OFF BEFORE IS FANTASTIC!!!

Two favorite fish recipes discovered on this journey:

•PARMESAN COATED TILAPIA
1) Make a seasoned egg wash. [whisk together eggs, salt, pepper, garlic or onion powder, etc. ]
2) Coat the fish with the egg mixture, then roll and press in parmesan cheese.
3) Cook in an oiled skillet, browning well on both sides.

•TILAPIA SANDWICH MIX
1) Cook tilapia pieces until done
2) Flake the fish into small pieces
3) Add relish and Miracle Whip
4) Use the same as tuna

PHASE 4 – DAY 18

Wheewwww - - It has been over a week since our company arrived, and today we are back to ‘normal’. Jilly bean and the girls came up on the 14th, and left for home last night.


You don’t really think your life will be SO different with extra people in the house, but it just is. Dinners were never normal; at least what has become normal for us. Our eating habits have absolutely changed during this journey. We continue to eat the same foods we ate in Phase 2, but with additional portions and choices. Our main foods are still chicken, fish, and steak.


When our company first arrived, Lane and I tried to fix food, doing what we normally would do, but you just get worn down after a while and end up caving to the easiest, fastest solutions. We did pretty well but we are both looking forward to getting our eating schedule back to normal.


Challenges:
Thursday- was Lane’s birthday. [we had family over and made grilled burgers]

Friday – I made myself a salmon burger and Lane had a salad

Saturday – party in the park for Lane’s birthday [we brought Wendy’s chicken salads]

Sunday - [pot roast and baked potatoes]

Monday – movie night for Jill and me [Lane grilled steaks]

Tuesday- My niece called to ask if they could have a birthday celebration for their sister at our house that night. Of course I said yes, but it was stressful getting everything ready when I got home from work. My daughter-in-law ordered pizza because it was fast and easy, and both Lane and I ate it. [Lanny paid for that one by being very sick all day Wednesday.]

Wednesday - I just had to make a normal meal for Lane. He grilled some chicken and I made a huge veggie stir fry [which none of the kids would eat] with onions, celery, peppers, asparagus, summer squash, zucchini and tomatoes. It was delicious.


One of the staples that has really helped us through this journey is that Lanny grills up a lot of chicken that we can use for lunches, salads, etc. We ran out of chicken during this past week, so that was a challenge in itself. The lunch I took to work on Wednesday was yogurt, 2 string cheese, and some pepper slices. I admit it, I’m a carnivore, and I missed having some meat for lunch.


The awesome news is that we are both still weight stable.

PHASE 4 – DAY 15


Well - - interesting indeed. We’ve had company since last week and it surely does change the dynamics of how I do meals.


I really am spoiled with just Lane and I at home. We can make spur of the moment decisions and it’s all good. With other adults in the house, as well as children, the meal choices are more complicated. What I would fix for just the two of us is not necessarily what I’d do for the whole group. Added to that; we have had some family dinners that involved all the kids and the grandkids. Group food requires different preparation and usually higher calorie / fat foods.


We did a birthday dinner for Lane on Thursday. We grilled burgers, cut up a watermelon, and had several chip options. That’s the first time I’ve eaten ‘bread’ for a long time. I had a bun with my burger. I passed on the chips, and ate watermelon. I also passed up the dessert. I was up a pound on Friday.


Things were crazy at the house when I got home from work on Friday, and I ended up cooking myself a piece of salmon and opening some green beans. I was still up that same pound on Saturday. Saturday was a ‘carb fest’. Cereal for breakfast, a tortilla w/ cheese and veggies for lunch, and although I ate a salad for dinner, I also ate a piece of carrot cake and a piece of chocolate cake for Lane’s birthday celebration in the park with the family.


Sunday I was back down to my maintenance weight. Again – Cereal for breakfast, a tortilla for lunch, and roast beef and baked potato for dinner. I was back up that nasty little pound today.


Sonny Boy is feeling DONE with this diet. He says he has only lost 23 pounds and he is discouraged by that. This is his last week on Phase 2. I’m not sure how well he’ll stick to Phase 3. He’s convinced that he could lose just as well eating a healthy diet and exercising. Perhaps; however, he wouldn’t be down 23 pounds if he hadn’t done the program.

PHASE 4 – DAY 10

Okay, I AM A BELIEVER!! The goal of the HCG weight loss program it to re-set your metabolism so that you don’t have to worry about every calorie you put in your mouth. Well - - - it seems to be working!


Although I still try to make good choices every day, I am branching out to old familiar foods on a limited basis. Yesterday we went to an afternoon movie and had popcorn [no butter] and a soda. I was down over a pound today, so I know my body can handle popcorn and an occasional soda and not freak out.


My daily menu was: my usual breakfast shake using Tahitian Noni soy shake, a cup of blueberries [or mixed berries], 1 scoop fiber, a couple handfuls of fresh spinach, and a tablespoon of peanut butter. Lunch was some left-over steak, cantaloupe and yellow bell pepper slices. Dinner was a filet of tilapia coated with a seasoned egg wash and rolled in parmesan cheese; the sides were asparagus and a sliced tomato. My night snack was a few peanuts and a Skinny Cow ice cream bar.


Oldest Daughter and her little girls are coming today to spend nearly a week with us. That will bring some unique food challenges, but since I’m at work all day, I’ll only have to deal with what’s for dinner. She is here to celebrate Lanny’s birthday, and to take her 3-yr old daughter for her annual heart checkup. She said last night that as long as I have cereal, milk and peanut butter, they will all do fine.

PHASE 4 – DAY 8


This past weekend was a great experiment in what we can eat and maintain our weight successfully.


We had guests for the weekend at the property, so the menu choices were a little out of the ordinary. We planned the main dish for Saturday’s dinner, so we knew it would be a good choice [tri-tip steak]. I planned grilled veggies to go with it, and our friends brought cantaloupe and fresh corn. Not bad, huh?


I started the weekend [Friday] by eating ½ a candy bar. My boss gave everyone a Snickers bar during the day, and around 4:30, it looked really good. It was the first real sugar treat I’d had since May 1. I actually only wanted half. It did not affect my maintenance weight the next day.


On Saturday, we had bacon and eggs for breakfast, and I decided to make nachos for lunch. We used guacamole chips, cheese, cut up chicken, salsa, and avocadoes. This was my first real foray into ‘starch’. The food was delicious and we really enjoyed the change of menu.


I didn’t know our company was going to stay on Sunday, but they went to church with us, and then stayed for lunch. I had to scramble to figure out what to serve, but luckily we had just enough chips left to do the nachos again. I laid everything out and let them put together what they wanted. I had orange and yellow pepper strips as a side, along with some left-over cantaloupe. So, I put chips on a plate, then they could choose from: cheese, chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, and guacamole as toppers. They loved it.


Lane and I were both tired when we got home last night, so we just did leftovers. He made a big salad, and I had the tri-tip, left-over grilled veggies and cantaloupe. Later I ate an apple and a string cheese. Around 10:00, I ate a Skinny Cow ice cream bar, then went to bed.


Today my weight was down. I’m delighted that after such an unusual menu over the weekend, I still managed to maintain well.

PHASE 4 – DAY 5


Well, we are almost through the first week. All is well in Maintenance Land. I’m still maintaining well, and Lanny is up and down, up and down, up and down.


Lane is trying to add carbs back into his diet. He bought tortilla chips and has been eating chips and salsa. I haven’t made that move yet. I just can’t push myself to add anything back in. Last night I decided to have a little sugar. I tried to eat a handful of M&Ms. Yuck. I tried mixing them with a soy trail mix. Better, but I still left them sitting in the dish. Before HCG, I could have eaten a whole lot more than a handful.


We bought some Skinny Cow ice cream bars the other day because they are only 100 calories and a healthier choice. I haven’t eaten one. I don’t even know if the packages have been opened. When I want a sweet snack, I have been opting for the sugar free Jello puddings.


I’m sure I’ll start eating some snacks and sweets, but I just don’t want to right now. If ‘gas’ offends you, stop reading now. One side effect of adding starches back into our diet is dealing with ‘gas’. I hadn’t even thought about it, but while we were doing Phase 2 and 3, we just didn’t have any. I didn’t even make the connection until we ate some starches, and the side effects surfaced. I had a Fiber Bar on Monday, and - - well, you know.


Lane’s birthday is next week and we’ll be going out to dinner and then having a party on Saturday with all the kids and grandkids. There will be food and snacks, and I’m sure we’ll enjoy the party.

PHASE 4 – DAY 1 & 2


Yesterday was our first day on Phase 4. We can now add in some sugars and starches.


However - - We didn’t do much out of the ordinary yesterday. We did both have a diet soda on Sunday, but we talked about not wanting to do it on a regular basis. We were actually at the mall yesterday and Lanny was hungry, so he went to the food court to find something. He ended up not buying anything because he didn’t want fried, breaded, etc.


I thought there would be a certain amount of euphoria when we reached this milestone, but because the scale is being so nice to me, I don’t want to ruin it by eating stupid things. It really has been a lifestyle change for us. We are still eating the same things we were eating on the plan, just not weighing and measuring. [but I must say that since starting Phase 3, my peanut comsumption has gone way UP]


The ‘Steak Day’ concept really works. We were both up a pound or so over the weekend and decided to do a steak day. We had steak for lunch and for dinner, with an apple. We both dropped like rocks the following morning. It’s a great trick to have in our arsenal.


We’ll start a new Phase 2 protocol on August 1st. We should be finished with everything by the first of OCT. In the meantime, I’ll continue to blog about how we're doing at maintaining a stable weight. It's very helpful to me to be able to use these blog posts as a journal of our weight loss adventure.

PHASE 3 – DAY 18


I’m still maintaining well. Up or down a few .10 of a pound, but stable within the same pound range. Lanny has been sick, so his numbers are way down. Sonny Boy is down 15 pounds since he started on June 18.


It is probably not a good sign when hubby keeps talking about the fact that we’re almost done with this phase, and is anticipating the next one. It will be interesting to see if we are able to retain our maintenance weights until we do the Phase 2 again in August.


Things we are looking forward to:
1) Yams (me)
2) Chips and Salsa (hubby)
3) Quinoa as a common side dish
4) Pineapple


I have found that one of the most difficult things for me on Phase 3 is remembering that I am not counting calories. I can have the good salad dressing, butter on my veggies, etc. I actually put a few drops of olive oil in my stir fry yesterday and it was great. After remembering that I can have them, the next part of the equation is to remember NOT to feel guilty when I eat them! Years of ‘fat-free’ mind conditioning have left me with an aversion to using them at all.


BUT – life is about moving forward and hoping to be:
1) A better person than we were yesterday
2) More spiritually in tune than we were yesterday
3) Kinder than we were yesterday


Then - - here’s to all my tomorrows, and becoming a better person than I am today.